Mistake by city contractors caused Lawrence gas leak, but valve involved should have been disabled last year
A mistaken water valve closure punctured a gas line, officials said.
The gas leak that caused hundreds of residents to evacuate their Lawrence homes Friday morning was caused by a mistake made by city contractors, officials said.
Related Links
Contractors working for the city mistakenly closed a gas valve while checking water valves to prepare for a road paving project, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and Columbia Gas.
The valve closure punctured an active gas main.
The statement also said the gas valve that was closed was not compliant with state standards and should have been disabled during pipeline reconstruction in 2018.
The leak happened just a year after the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, and the involved pipelines were serviced by the company found responsible for the 2018 disaster.
Columbia Gas discovered 45 other gas valves that required immediate inspection Friday, the statement said. The valves were inspected over the weekend, but no information on whether they were compliant has been released.
